HOW TO STOP BARKING

It can be a frustrating and worrying thing for an owner to have a dog that barks excessively, but there are ways to deal with it in a positive way.
First, why does your dog bark? A simple question because there are several reasons, such as fear, attention seeking or out of sheer excitement.
One thing that may help whatever the cause though is making sure your dog gets not only enough physical but also mental exercise, so it has a focussed mind.
Mental games and training exercises can tire a dog out just as much as a long run in the park so it is well worth doing.
Once you have decided what triggers the bark, think if there is anything you can do to reduce the trigger.
If he barks at people passing, can you restrict the view, if he barks when you leave can you start training him to be more relaxed on his own and so on.
Help your dog concentrate on other things. Give a stuffed Kong, mind games, toys to play with that will keep his brain focussed on things that don't need a bark.
If he is barking to get your attention then IGNORE IT. Walk away, don’t even look at your dog until he stops barking and then give gentle praise and a reward.
You can train your dog to with the verbal commands of ‘bark’ or be quiet.
Firstly, when your dog is barking give him praise and a reward along with the verbal command ‘bark’.
When your dog is quiet, give it lots of gentle praise, use the verbal cue ‘quiet’, and reward with treats, give belly rubs and whatever your dog enjoys.
Only do this when your dog is NOT demanding attention, so you are not rewarding that.
As your dog learns that quiet gets a reward, increase the training level to include a verbal command. You may need to enlist a friend to help with this stage.
Decide a command word like ‘quiet/bark’
You can increase the level of training by enlisting the help of a friend or family member.
Get friend to knock on your door (or something that will make your dog start barking)
Let him bark a couple of times
Say ‘Quiet’ and immediately hold a really tasty treat (cheese or some hot dog sausage is good for this) right by his nose. This should take his attention from barking, to wanting to eat the treat.
Take your dog with you and open the door.
Once you have taught your dog this, you can use it whenever it barks, for whatever reason.
First published on BCS Newsletter Jan 2016
First, why does your dog bark? A simple question because there are several reasons, such as fear, attention seeking or out of sheer excitement.
One thing that may help whatever the cause though is making sure your dog gets not only enough physical but also mental exercise, so it has a focussed mind.
Mental games and training exercises can tire a dog out just as much as a long run in the park so it is well worth doing.
Once you have decided what triggers the bark, think if there is anything you can do to reduce the trigger.
If he barks at people passing, can you restrict the view, if he barks when you leave can you start training him to be more relaxed on his own and so on.
Help your dog concentrate on other things. Give a stuffed Kong, mind games, toys to play with that will keep his brain focussed on things that don't need a bark.
If he is barking to get your attention then IGNORE IT. Walk away, don’t even look at your dog until he stops barking and then give gentle praise and a reward.
You can train your dog to with the verbal commands of ‘bark’ or be quiet.
Firstly, when your dog is barking give him praise and a reward along with the verbal command ‘bark’.
When your dog is quiet, give it lots of gentle praise, use the verbal cue ‘quiet’, and reward with treats, give belly rubs and whatever your dog enjoys.
Only do this when your dog is NOT demanding attention, so you are not rewarding that.
As your dog learns that quiet gets a reward, increase the training level to include a verbal command. You may need to enlist a friend to help with this stage.
Decide a command word like ‘quiet/bark’
You can increase the level of training by enlisting the help of a friend or family member.
Get friend to knock on your door (or something that will make your dog start barking)
Let him bark a couple of times
Say ‘Quiet’ and immediately hold a really tasty treat (cheese or some hot dog sausage is good for this) right by his nose. This should take his attention from barking, to wanting to eat the treat.
Take your dog with you and open the door.
Once you have taught your dog this, you can use it whenever it barks, for whatever reason.
First published on BCS Newsletter Jan 2016
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